Repentance For A Villain
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Nightshade is given a chance to repent for his past. Will he accept? Or is he a thief who will never change? Done as a request for Lantern Power. :)


**Lantern Power, who owns Isabel, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Skylanders belongs to Activision. I only own Rachel and Crystal.**

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 **Repentance For A Villain**

Luminous glanced out the window of Mags' lab, deep in thought as he stared at some clouds in the sky. He removed his helmet and set it aside before turning and almost running into Mags, who had come up behind him to wrap her arms around him, but now she wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder, her hat on the invention table nearby. "Lumi, everything okay?" She asked, calling him by his nickname.

He smiled at her and hugged her to him, gently twirling her braids through his fingers. "I was just thinking about a friend, my lovely inventor," he said.

"Oh?" She asked. "Who?"

He gave a gentle sigh and looked sad, to which she reached up and gently held his face in her hands. "Lumi?" She asked.

"Nightshade," he answered. "He was my good friend before I changed my ways and…I haven't seen much of him since then."

Mags looked thoughtful. "Well, he has caused a lot of trouble, hon," she said. "He is a thief."

Luminous winced at that and she now looked concerned. "Lumi, are you thinking…perhaps Nightshade might change?" She asked.

"That's what I'm hoping for," he admitted. "Maybe…Maybe I can talk to him and talk to Isabel. She's dealt with him in the past."

"Hmm. Maybe you should run that idea by Master Eon or maybe one of the Portal Masters before talking to Isabel," Mags suggested. "If she's willing to forgive, she makes someone earn her forgiveness."

"True," Luminous said in agreement. "Perhaps if I find Rachel. She is good friends with Isabel."

"Good idea."

The former Light villain went off to search for Rachel, wondering where she was, but soon spied Ambush and asked him about Rachel's whereabouts, finding she was in the Sensei Fire Realm studying with Tae Kwon Crow. Thanking the Life Knight Sensei, Luminous headed for the Fire Realm and glanced around, soon finding both Rachel and the ninja bird nearby. Some chompies were nearby but hadn't spotted them yet. "As a Chompy Pod spits out Chompies when you get close, the best thing to do is hit is from afar so it doesn't spew as many, if not any, Chompies," Tae Kwon Crow said.

"Okay," Rachel said, holding her hands up to show they were glowing gold with her telekinesis and her shuriken spun in place over her hands. "So, attack the pod first?"

"Yes," he said.

Taking a deep breath, the Tech Portal Master created a telekinetic orb that pulled the four shuriken inside it and waited until it was built up a bit more before she released it at the Chompy Pod. The attack hit the pod, but to her surprise, it didn't destroy it and it started spewing out Chompies. Quickly, she threw more shuriken, hitting both the little biters and the pod, finally destroying it, but she didn't take pride in the victory. "I don't understand," she said. "That orb with those four shuriken was my most powerful attack outside of my Skyelemental. Why didn't it destroy the pod the first time?"

Tae Kwon Crow gently cleared his throat. "Just curious, how many normal attacks would it take to take down a Chompy Pod?" He asked.

Rachel gave it some thought. "About four or five hits, if I remember correctly," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Think for a moment about your answer and then think about your first attack."

The young woman took a deep breath and fell into thought before she held up another telekinetic orb and analyzed it with the shuriken before remembering when something hit her orb and destroyed it, the shuriken would be thrown into four separate hits, but if they stayed altogether. "It's only one hit, instead of four," she said, suddenly realizing it. "Because my shuriken stayed within my telekinetic orb instead of being released, it acted as one attack, or one hit."

The Fire Ninja Sensei nodded before noticing Luminous. "Yes, Luminous?" He asked.

"Forgive my interruption, but I was hoping to speak briefly with the Tech Portal Master," he answered.

Tae Kwon Crow gave it some thought before nodding. "Let's take a small break and continue after a bit," he suggested, going over to a rock to meditate while Rachel grabbed some water and went over to Luminous.

"What's up, amigo?" She asked.

"Well, I was hoping to ask your opinion," Luminous answered.

She gave him her full attention. "Well, I'll do my best," she said. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you think Isabel would consider giving Nightshade a chance to atone for his stealing?"

Rachel almost choked on her water at that and blinked a few times before composing herself. "Well, I really don't know," she admitted. "You'd had to ask Isabel that one."

"But…if he really proved he had changed, would she give him a chance?"

The Tech Portal Master gave it some thought as she remembered how the Undead Portal Master had helped Dr. Krankcase change his ways and trusted him after he had proved his loyalty to her. "Well, if she's willing," she said. "She gives second chances to those who really want to earn forgiveness and show they are really wanting to change."

He nodded. "I…I really hope she'll give Nightshade a chance," he said. "He was my best friend before I changed my ways and…I really miss his friendship."

She smiled. "Best thing to do is to go find her and ask her," she said. "She'll listen and think about it before giving you her answer."

Encouraged by Rachel's words, the former Light villain sought out Isabel, who was training with Dr. Krankcase. Crystal, who was nearby waiting for Boom Bloom and Starcast to come for training, was watching them and she scooted over to make room for Luminous to sit down and watch. "Isabel's trying to trick Dr. Krankcase," she said.

"Really?" He asked as they both watched the two before Isabel reached into her pocket and suddenly disappeared before reappearing behind the mechanical doctor and jumping on his back, startling him and he fell over. Crystal burst out laughing as Luminous chuckled. Isabel grinned and helped her Sensei partner up.

"Very sneaky, Izzy," he said without heat. "But very clever."

"Thanks," she said, seeing Luminous come up. "Hi, Luminous. What's up?"

"Isabel, can I ask you something?" He asked.

She looked at Dr. Krankcase, who nodded. "These old gears need a break to keep up with you, Izzy," he said, poking her side teasingly and she giggled before giving Luminous her full attention and he took a deep breath.

"If I convinced Nightshade to change his ways…would you be willing to give him a chance to prove he's changed?"

To her credit, Isabel only raised her eyebrows at that, hiding her surprise. "Well," she said. "He'd have to really show me he's changed. And he'd have to show me he wouldn't steal my gem again."

Ah, the former Light villain remembered hearing about the time Nightshade stole the purple gem from the Undead Portal Master. She hadn't been pleased at all. But something about her statement gave him hope. "You'll give him a chance?" He asked hopefully.

She looked thoughtful and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'll give him a chance," she said. "But…if he blows this chance, I'll be reluctant to give him another chance."

Luminous nodded understandingly and hugged her, surprising her. "Thank you for at least considering it," he said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to convince my old friend that turning to a new life is a lot better than being a villain."

She nodded. "Good luck," she said.

"You too," he responded.

Crystal, who had overheard their conversation, got up and ran up to Luminous, grabbing part of his cape and tugging it a little, making him turn to her. "Can I come with you, Luminous?" She asked. "I've never seen the Villain Vault before."

He looked a bit uncomfortable with that. "Your sister would kill me if you went down there and got lost," he said.

"Which is why she'll stick close to you when you guys go there," Isabel said in a slightly stern voice. "I'll let Rachel know."

The seven-year-old looked up at the former villain. "Please?" She said, giving him a cute look with big eyes and a small pout, a face that Luminous instantly knew he couldn't say 'no' to.

"Well, alright," he said. "I really hope Rachel doesn't mind."

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They headed for the Villain Vault and Luminous used his powers to light the area up a bit more as it was a little dark. Crystal stuck close to him as she didn't really like the dark. Some villains glared at them while they walked by and others ignored them. Nightshade's cell was at the very end of the room and he glanced up before turning away. "What do you want, Luminous?" He asked.

"Night, I spoke with Isabel," Luminous said. "She's willing to give you a chance to atone for your past, but…if you blow this chance with her, she might not give you another chance."

The thief sighed. "What good will it do, Lumi?" He asked. "I can't change. Shadows don't change."

"But Luminous changed," Crystal said. "And he was very evil. If he can change, you can too."

He looked at the young Life Portal Master. "It's not possible, kid," he said gently. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Come on, Night," his friend said. "Crystal's right. If I could change, you can too."

Nightshade sighed and paced his cell. "I don't know," he admitted after a bit. "Forgive me, Lumi, but I'd have to hear from Isabel herself that she's willing to work with me."

"I am," said Isabel as she came up to them. "And you've got a chance to prove it. Fisticuffs is causing trouble in Scholarville."

Master Eon appeared and opened the gate to Nightshade's cell and he came out, looking at Isabel who gave him a firm look. "No stealing and no tricks," she said firmly. "I'm taking a big chance on giving you a chance to earn my forgiveness and prove you've changed. Don't make me regret it, because if you do, you won't get another chance with me."

He quietly nodded. "Lead the way, Undead Portal Master," he said.

* * *

Scholarville was a mess, something they could plainly see when they arrived. The structures were almost falling down, but thankfully everyone was safely outside. Nightshade looked a bit worried. "We won't have to go into those buildings, will we?" He asked.

"Depends," Isabel said, although she was secretly hoping that too.

Very few trolls or other villains were around. Even the Battle Gong was in shambles. "Man, he really did a number on this place," the Undead Portal Master said. "Not even Kaos is here, and that's saying something."

Nightshade peered behind a door that had a broken lock puzzle on it and saw the treasure chest behind it was broken and empty. "He cleared out with the gold and treasure too," he said.

Now that was odd. "I've never known him to do that," she said.

They continued on until suddenly Isabel felt a powerful fist strike her and she cried out as she was almost knocked over the side of the ship they were currently on. She grabbed onto the side of it, but had no footholds to give herself leverage. Nightshade ducked and looked around, spying Fisticuffs heading for another treasure chest and smashing it open to steal the treasure. He glared at that and would have gone after him if Isabel hadn't screamed as her grip was slipping. "Nightshade!" She called out.

He stopped, wanting to go after the treasure, but then knew that if Isabel didn't make it, he'd not only have Master Eon and Rattle Shake after him, but also the other Portal Masters. Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran to where Isabel had fallen off, grabbing her arms in a firm grip just as she lost her grip. She grabbed his arms when she realized he caught her and saved her from falling. "Hang on," he said before displaying a strength one wouldn't think he had and pulling her back up on the ship. She got her feet under her, but then groaned in pain as she held her side.

"Ow, what hit me?" She asked.

"Fisticuffs' fist did," Nightshade said with a growl. "He then went after some treasure."

"Okay, something's really up," Isabel said and tried to walk, but her side was hurting her.

"Here," the cat villain said, grabbing her and throwing her over his shoulder. "Hold on."

"Nightshade, what are you…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The reason she had cried out was because he had jumped clear through the air from the ship to the stone platform a good few yards away. He landed perfectly and she took a moment to get her breath back before grabbing the tails of his mask and giving them a firm tug. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again," she ground out, trying to hide her fear.

"Sorry, Isabel," he said. "We need to take the Grind Challenge to catch up to that creep."

She groaned. "Grind Challenges," she said, sounding less-than-thrilled, but she jumped on and he followed behind her, seeing her try to catch the Imaginite gems, but only caught two of them. He quickly caught the one she missed and brought it over to her when they got to their destination. She looked surprised, but then smiled. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

He smiled and then grabbed her and ducked as Fisticuffs slammed another fist towards them. "Okay, that guy is really getting on my bad side," Isabel said angrily.

Nightshade jumped up and grabbed the fist at the end of the extended arm, calling up his shadow clones to help Isabel defeat the villain as he held down the giant fist. It worked for a short while until Fisticuffs managed to get his fist free and pulled it back to strike again. Isabel went to dodge, but the fist clipped her sore side and she cried out as she fell down and he was about to bring his fist down on her. She went to reach for her gem to teleport out of the way.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nightshade cried out as he jumped between Isabel and the oncoming fist, calling up a shadow pillar that slammed Fisticuffs' fist away from the Undead Portal Master and surprised the villain enough to where some shadow clones finished him off.

Isabel, seeing that the villain was now trapped, got up with the cat's help and inserted the Dark Trap into the force field, trapping Fisticuffs for good, then she winced. "He got my side good," she said.

The former thief's arms surrounded her and picked her up bridal style. "Hold on," he said. "I'll get you to Mags."

* * *

Outside the Academy med bay, Nightshade waited until Mags said he could come in. Rachel, Crystal, Luminous, and Rattle Shake were there by Isabel's side while Master Eon watched from afar before coming closer. "Nightshade," said the guardian of Skylands. "I've heard you were a hero today."

He shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I just helped Isabel out. That's all."

"What are you talking about?" Isabel asked, looking at him and motioning him closer. "Night, you saved my life. Three times."

"He did?" Rachel asked, looking stunned.

Isabel nodded. "Fisticuffs tried to knock me off the ship and Nightshade caught me before I fell off the ship. He pulled me down to avoid another hit from that creep's fist and then, when Fisticuffs had me knocked down in front of him, Nightshade jumped in front of me and protected me," she said.

"That sounds like a hero," Crystal said with a smile.

Luminous nodded. "See, Night. You can be a good guy, if you're really willing to be," he said. "Plus, I miss our friendship."

"I miss that too, Lumi," Nightshade answered and looked at Isabel. "Well, then my choice is up to Isabel."

She looked at him and he sighed. "Isabel…do you forgive me?" He asked hopefully.

She smiled. "Yes," she said. "You've proven that you've changed. You can use your skills for good, especially against Kaos."

He gave the Undead Portal Master a grateful look. "Thank you," he said before looking at Master Eon. "Master Eon?"

The guardian nodded and raised his staff. "Take care that you stay on the right path, Nightshade," he said in a gentle, kind voice as Nightshade's dark purple outfit became a shade of royal purple, making everyone smile.

"Looks like you found repentance," Rachel said with a smile. "Welcome to the team, Nightshade."

He stood beside Isabel. "Thank you," he said. "And thank you, Isabel."

She again smiled. "Welcome to the team, partner," she said, surprising him that she wanted him for a partner, but he then smiled.

"Thank you, my Portal Master," he said.

He was a changed cat and he wouldn't regret his choice. He was sure of that.

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 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


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